Enclosed oscillating fan



June 10, 1952 G. J. REISCH ENCLOSED OSCILLATING FAN Filed Nov. l5, 1948 2 'sx-IEETs-SHEET 1 Figi.

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-IIIf inventor: George J. Reisch,

l-I is Attorneg.

G. J. REISCH ENCLOSED OSCILLATING FAN June 1o, 1952 Filed Nov. 13. 1948 lnvehtor: George J. Reisch,

Za. 2 3S His Attorneg.

Patented June 10, 1952 El'CLOSIJDr OSCILLATING. FAN

George- I., Itei'sch, Stratford, Conn., assighor toA General Electric Company, a corporation of New York ApplicationfNovember 13, 1948, Serial: No.. 59,841y v fllaimsi (Cl. 23u-256) My invention relates to electric fans andy it has for one of:` its objects to. provide an improved means of automatically'oscillating an.v electric fan about. a vertically adjustableV support.

Another object is tov completely enclose and submerge in grease the oscillating mechanism and journals of.' all moving parts' of a fanwithin a gear casev which is an integral' part of a; fan frame;

Another objlect is to, arrange the component parts of`V ay fan in such a manner as to obtain a proper weight distribution throughout the fan, thereby reducing vibration and' minimizing the friction between a swivel lr'iearin'g` and a swivel stud around Whicnthe fan oscillates..

A' further object' is' to. provide; a new and improved fan construction having aunitaryv gear case and frame, which may be fabricated easily by such means as die-casting. This gear case and frame supports all of the operatingpartsv of the fan so' that a' motor casing may be" provided which is one complete shell" made from onel piece of material and which can be'v easily removed without interfering withl the operation of the fan; thereby permitting the observation of the fan motor whileit is inoperation and facilitating adjustment' and' repair.

Other objects and advantages of myimproved electric fanwill become appareil-t1 as'y I' describe my invention iny greater detail.

In a preferred embodiment of my' invention, I providea gear case having kbearings atlits front and rear ends and attached to its rear end are arms which support a motor frame in. they form of' a ring to which thel statorof the fan motor is fastened. Mounted in the bearingsi is ashaft which projects beyond the bearings at each end ofthe casing, the fan. blade assembly being mounted' on the end of? theshaftwhicn. projects from. the front end'. ofI the gear:` casing andy the rotor of the fan motor'V biel-ngv mounted. on the endl. or the shaft which projects from the rear endl, of; the gear case". Gearing for' anz oscillating mechanism f'or the fan is:l mounted the gear case. AnV enclosing easing for the gear ease and: motor may be attached to the motor frame.

For a more complete. understanding of' my' invention=,. reference: should be made; to the accompan-ying drawings inv which Fig; 1 is a vertical sectional'k view of an'z entire fan embodying my invention, Fig. 21s af sectionalgview ot the' motor ands gear assembly of the fan shown in Fig'. 1, Fig; 3 is.y a view in; elevation of.` the front of the fan with the fany proper removed, Fig. 4 is a sectional View ot the gear case of the: fan'. taken along line 4 4 inlisf.v 2.A

Referring to Fig; 1, I have shown my' invention one form as' applied than.. electric fan having a bjase l provded'vwith extending foot supports2 and resilient feet .'i` and"v splined tov anj arcuate support la by a hat channel 5` in which the sup'- p'ort 4 ist slidably fitted'. The support- 4 controls the angle of elevation of. the fan by being adjustably secured in channel 5 by a carriagebolt 6 inserted; through an4 elongated slot 'I in support 4 and al hole in base Il and' locked in place by wing nut- 8. Inserted through a suitable aperture in the upper end of supportil and keyed to stop rotation is a swivel" stud 9" which islocked in place by lock Washer Il'lv and an acorn nut II. Encircling swivel stud' 9 and restingonj Support 4 is a thrust bearing assemblyl t2 whichA I have shown as comprising a cupjwasher making contact with washers |14' andfiactingas a grease seal. The swivel stud 9 nts into a cylindrical hole I6j in the approximate center oa combined gear caseandfan frame Il which acts asa bearing for` the swivel stud .llkl permitting; the? combined gear case and fan frame to' pivotaround this swivel stud 9' onA thrust bearingy assembly I2.

The gear caseand;fan'y frame'- l'l has'a generally cup-shaped portion Whichdefnes' the gear case l-S and an integral rearwardly exft''endingcylindrical portion i9vwhich serves toisu-pportthe lamlnations 2i) and coil assembly' 2t which form the stator of a fan motor 211i.` The'la'minations of the stator 2li are secured place byscrews 23` and 24 shown Fig. 1 and screws 35` and Z6 shown in Fig. 2; At the rear end of gear' case t8* is; a rearward-ly extending hub: 2? which accommodates a rear bearing 2`8 for a drive sha-ft- 29. r-fhe frontend of gear case lissmili'arly formed tof support a lrontlbearing 311i for the drive shaft 29', At-its rear end shaft 29 progj'ectslbeyond bearing 21'8 andc mounted onfsuch projecting end is the: usual. rotor assembly 31 off the;Y fari motorv 2'2. Botn the front: and the rear bearings for the drive shaft 2e are located on the forward side of fan motor 22. A thrust washer 32 encircling shaft 29" isrinserted. betweenl rotorl 3:13 and rear bearing 2t;y Anotherthrust washer 33 is similarly positioned at the outerenel` ofr front bearing. 30 and is secured inA place by a snapv ringi 314' which nts into an annular groove 315 formed in shaft 29. Thesethrust wash-,ersf 327,d 33` reduce the friction between the moving parts asl the motor rotates. The snapI ring 3 4 acts not? only asv a thrust shoulder to hold the rotor in; place: but also allows a measureof; adjustment? of the rotor endplaywi-thout thenecessity of disassembling thefmotor.

A, fan, blade assembly 36' is attached, toa: circular sleeve 31 which is xed on the forward end of drive shaft 29 as by a bushing 38, cylindrical in shape to iit contiguously against the inner circumference of sleeve 31. Bushing 38 has an axially extending cylindrical aperture 39 which permits it to rlt tightly around the drive shaft 29. An annular groove Il@ is milled or otherwise formed around the forward end of drive shaft 29. The bushing 38 is forced into said annular groove and locks the parts together.

Attached to the gear case and frame I1 by three supporting arms 4I, 42 and 43, best seen in Fig. 3, is the usual fan guard 44. Each supporting arm has an elongated slot extending angularly from its outer end, designated in supporting arm 4I in Fig. 1 by the numeral 45. A rear fan guard wire 4S is inserted in these slots and locked in place by suitable metallic clips 41, 48 and 49. One side 59 of each metallic clip is triangular in shape and hasV an arcuate notch 50a at its apex which is folded to snap under the guard wire 46 and lock said guard wire within the slotted. grooves of the supporting arms. The inner ends of supporting arms 42 and 43, best seen in Fig. 3, are inserted through suitable apertures 5I and 52 in a motor casing 53 and` are attached to gear case and frame I1 by screws 54 and 55. The inner end of supporting arm 4I is also inserted through a suitable aperture 56 in motor casing 53, but has a slotted aperture 51 z extending upward from its inner edge which slides over the screw 23 and is adjustably secured in place by nut 58 and lock washer 59. This a1- lows a small measure of adjustment of the vertical pitch of the fan guard 44. Extending, however, from the inner edge of supporting arm 4I on either side of slotted aperture 51 is a pair of small projecting flanges 69 and 6I, which determine the extent of adjustability in one direction as well as prevent the supporting arm 4I from completely sliding off screw 23.

Motor casing 53 is fabricated from one piece of material to assume a general cup shape. It completely encloses the fan motor 22 and is attached to the gear case and fan frame I1 by screws 25 and 26. This motor casing may be die cast or otherwise fashioned from a suitable plastic or metallic material and contains the usual plurality of Ventilating apertures 62 in the under rearward portion. An off-on switch 63,

inserted through a circular aperture 64 in motor casing 53 and attached thereto by such means as a speed clip 65, is the only part of the fan supported by the motor casing 53. Therefore, since no operational parts of the fan are attached to the motor casing 53, it may be easily removed without interfering with the operation of the fan. Control wires (not shown) leading to the switch from a power source, and from the switch to the motor, are provided in conventional fashion.

Gear case I8 has a cup-shaped portion 66 which serves as an enclosure for the oscillating drive or gearing. A worm thread 61 formed in the drive shaft 29 near the forward end of gear f:

case I8 drives a worm gear 68, best seen in Figs. 2 and 4. This worm gear 68 is attached by means such as a press fit, to a hub 69 which has a pinion 10 formed in its lower portion and is journaled on a bearing pin 1 I. Pin 1I is securely assembled into gear case I8 by a press fit or other suitable means. Pinion 10, in turn, drives another larger spur gear 12 similarly attached to a hub 13 and journaled on a bearing pin 14 which is also secured to gear case I8 in any suitable manner similar to bearing pin 1I. A shouldered pin 15 is riveted or otherwise attached to gear 12 close to its outer edge and serves to pivotally connect a crank arm 16 to the gear 12. The other end of crank arm 16 is attached to a rigid arm 11 by such pivotal means as a shouldered rivet 18, which also acts as a bearing and pivot point for said crank arm 16. The rigid arm 11 is keyed, swaged or otherwise securely attached to swivel stud 9. This entire oscillating drive or gearing assembly is completely submerged in grease or other lubricant and enclosed by a gear case cover 19 secured in place by such means as screws 80 and 8 I.

Because the drive shaft bearings and the swivel stud bearing comunmicate with the interior of the gear case enclosure, lubricant in the gear case will serve not only for the oscillating gearing, but also for the drive shaft and stud bearings.

When electric power is applied to the fan motor, through operation of the switch 63, the worm thread 61 in drive shaft 29 rotates the gear train comprising worm gear 68, pinion 10 and gear 12. As gear 12 rotates, crank arm 16 being pivotally attached thereto, pulls against rigid arm 11 but cannot move it since said rigid arm 11 is secured to swivel stud 9 which in turn is fixed to the support 4. Therefore, since the entire gear case and frame I1 is pivotally journaled on vswivel stud 9, the torque of crank arm 16 as gear 12` rotates is imparted through bearing pin 14 to the gear case and frame I1 causing it to oscillate on swivel stud'9. The linkage of the above oscillating mechanism is designed to bisect the angle of oscillation so that there is an equal amount of oscillation on either side of the centerline of the fan.

As can be seen from the foregoing detailed description of the fan, I have completely enclosed the oscillating mechanism within the motor casing so that'there are no projecting arms or levers. The combined gear case and frame is of simple construction yet serves a multiplicity of purposes. t supports the fan motor, the front and rear bearings, the fan guard supports, and the bearing pins for the gear train. It also acts as an enclosing case for the oscillating mechanism and as a bearing close to center of gravity of the assembled fan for the main oscillating swivel stud. The gear case constitutes a lubricant reservoir for all moving parts. Fiurthermore, by attaching all the operating parts of the fan to the gear case and frame alone. I permit the use of a single plastic or metallic shell asa motor casing which may be easily removed and yet leave the fan completely operable. This feature makes it relatively easy both to assemble and adjust the fan and to make any necessary repairs. Unless a contrary meaning is obvious from the context, the words gear or gearing are used in their broadest sense here, as designating a train or series of parts by which motion is transmitted in machinery. This includes parts such as worm gear, pinion, spur gear, crank arm, rigid arm, etc. in the description of the oscillating drive. Use of the term gear case does not imply that gears alone are used in the drive, or even that gear wheels must be contained in the case. Obviously, gear wheels, arms, cams or other elements might be used in the gearing. Obviously, also, part of the oscillating drive might be placed outside of the gear case if desired, but naturally this part of the drive would then require separate lubrication and would 'retain only 'the advantage of being, supportedhy the unitary fan frame and searcase.

While I have. shown. a particular embodiment 'of my invention, it will be understood that I do not wish te be limited tothat particular embodiment since many modicationsfmay be made, and I therefore,. contemplate byr the appended claims to cover such modifications as fall within the. true. spirit and scope of my invention.

What l' claim as new and' desire to sentire by Letters Patent ofi' the United States is:

L An electric fan comprising, a stationary support, a swivel stud secured to said supporta a gear case pivotally mounted on said swivel' stud, said caseincludin'gl a pair ofA spaced bearings; a driving rotor. having' a drive, shaft journaled in said bearings, said rotor being located ont one side of' said bearings, a stator c`ooperati`ng with said rotor supported by said gear case, a fan blade mounted on said shaft at a point thereon located on the other side of said bearings, a gear train located within said case and arranged to be driven by said shaft, said train including gears journaled on bearings in said case between said spaced bearings, a crank arm located within said case and having one end pivotally attached to said train, and a rigid arm pivotally attached to the other end of said crank arm, said rigid arm being xed to said swivel stud within said gear case to form a stationary element about which said crank arm oscillates said gear case, said motor and said fan blade.

2. In an electric fan, a support, a vertical swivel stud secured to such support, a gear case and frame journaled around said swivel stud having a pair of spaced bearings, a drive shaft journaled in said bearings, a motor operating said drive shaft located on one side of said bearings, said gear case being located between said bearings, and an oscillating mechanism sealed within said gear case comprising a gear train driven by said drive shaft, a crank arm pivotally attached at one end to said gear train, and a rigid arm pivotally attached to the other end of said crank arm and securely mounted on the upper end of said swivel stud which projects into said gear case.

E. In an electric fan, a base, an angularly adjustable support attached thereto, a vertical swivel stud secured to said support, a thrust bearing surrounding the lower end of said swivel stud, a gear case and frame having a cylindrical aperture forming a bearing for said swivel stud, said gear case and frame being supported by said thrust bearing and including a portion forming a sealed gear case, a motor, an oscillating mechanism positioned within said gear case comprising a drive shaft rotated by said motor, said drive shaft having a worm groove formed thereon, a pair of hubs journaled in said gear case, one of said hubs having a worm gear attached thereto and having a pinion formed in its lower portion, the other of said hubs having a second gear connected thereto arranged to be driven by said pinion, a crank arm having one end pivotally attached to said second gear and a rigid arm pivotally attached to the other end of said crank arm, said rigid arm being securely mounted on said swivel stud and providing a stationary element cooperating with said crank arm to compel oscillating motion.

4. In an electric fan, a gear oase having a bearing at its front end and a bearing at its rear end, a motor shaft journaled in said bearings; the ends of the shaftY projectingl beyondv the bearings, a ring at the rear endlofthe gear' case-,1 arms connecting the# ring'tothe gear case,l said-` ring hav-ing a flat rearwardly facing: end. surface, a motorstatorattached against said sur-- face to1 thering, a motor rotor'y carried` by the` proj-'ecti-'r-ig shaft endl-attherear end'of thegear case;` a-v fair blade` structure carried by the'projecting shaf'tend" at theI front end' of the gear case, reduc-tion gearing in the gear case driven by the shaft, a supporty for the gear` ease; and means connecting the reduction gearing tothe support for oscillating the`v gear case'V on its support;

5i. In; anv electric fair, a gearY case having a bearing atits frontend-'anda bearingI at its rea-r end?, a motorl shaft journaledin said bearings, the* endsfofthe shaft Aproifectirig beyond the bearings, a fan blade structure mounted on thepro'- jecting shaft end at the front end of the gear case, a motor rotor mounted on the projecting shaft end at the rear end of the gear case, a motor stator attached to the rear end of the gear case in operative relation to said rotor, reduction gearing in the gear case driven by said shaft, a support for the gear case, and means connecting the reduction gearing to the support for oscillating the gear case on its support.

6. In an electric fan, a gear case having a bearing at its front end and a bearing at its rear end, a motor shaft journaled in said bearings, the ends of the shaft projecting beyond the bearings, a ifan blade structure mounted on the projecting shaft end at thel front end of said gear case, a motor rotor mounted on the projecting shaft end at the rear end of said gear case, a motor stator attached to the rear end of the gear case in operative relation to said rotor, reduction gearing in the gear case driven by said shaft, a support for the gear case comprising a swivel stud, the free end of which terminates within the gear case, and means connecting the reduction gearing to the inner end of said stud for oscillating the gear case on the stud.

7. In an electric fan, a gear case having a bearing at its front end and a bearing at its rear end, a motor shaft journaled in said bearings, the ends of the shaft projecting beyond the bearings, a ring at the rear end of the gear case, arms connecting the ring to the gear case, a motor stator attachedto the ring, a motor rotor carried by the projecting shaft end at the rear end of said gear case, a fan blade structure carried by the projecting shaft end at the front end of said gear case, reduction gearing in the gear case driven by the shaft, a support for the gear case, means connecting the reduction gearing to said support for oscillating the gear case on its support, and an outer casing for the motor and gear case attached to and carried by said ring.

8. In an electric fan, a gear case having a bearing at its front end and a bearing at its rear end, a motor shaft journaled in said bearings, the ends of the shaft projecting beyond the bearings, a fan blade structure mounted outside the gear case on the front end of said shaft, a motor rotor mounted outside the gear case on the rear end of said shaft, a motor stator attached to the rear end of the gear case in operative relation to said rotor, reduction gearing in the gear case driven by said shaft, a support for the gear case, and means connecting the reduction gearing to the support for oscillating the gear case on said support, said gear case having an open top through which the gearing in the gear case is accessible. and a cover for sealing said opening.

9. In an electric fan, a gear case having an open top, a bearing at its front end and a bearing at its rear end, a motor shaft journaled in said bearings, the ends of the shaft projecting beyond the bearings, a fan blade structure mounted outside the gear ease on the front end of said shaft, a motor rotor mounted outside the gearcase on the rear end of said shaft, a motor stator attached to the rear end of the gear case in operative relation to said rotor, stub shafts xed to and projecting upwardly from the bottom Wall 0f the gear case, reduction gearing on the stub shafts driven by said shaft, a support for the gear case comprising a swivel stud, the free end of which terminates Within the gear case, means connecting the reduction gearing to inner end of the swivel stud for oscillating the gear case on said swivel stud, and a cover plate for the open top of the gear case.

GEORGE J. REISCH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ie of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 999,890 Shedd Aug. 8, 1911 1,088,687 Dodds Mar. 3, 1914 1,189,273 McEwen July 4, 1916 1,219,562 Kouyoumjian Mar. 20, 1917 1,253,199 Zabriskie Jan. 8, 1918 1,261,753 Anderson Apr. 9, 1918 2,112,766 Feltner Mar. 29, 1938 2,152,112 Tornberg Mar. 28, 1939 2,357,053 Moeller Aug. 29, 1944 

